Chapter Three Religious Life in the Hamad Region First: The Khatmiyya Tariqa in the Hamad Region 1- History of the Khatmiyya Tariqa in the Al-Sh Region: The Khatmiyya Tariqa is one of the most influential tariqas in the Al-Sh region. It can be said that the Khatmiyya Tariqa was the sole preferred tariqa in Al-Sh since the beginning of the twentieth century. The Khatmiyya Tariqa entered Sudan in the year 1811 CE through its first founder, Sayyid Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatmi. Sayyid al-Khatmi came to Sudan from Egypt based on the directives of his teacher Ahmad ibn Idris, passing through the regions of Sukkot, Al-Hass, and Al-Ka. He also established a presence in Dongola and headed to Al-Dabba, where he found good acceptance from the people of Al-Sh. Among those who... This does not negate the existence of some pockets and communities of other Sufi tariqas, some of whom established... The tariqa that left its mark in many areas, and some of them established a small number of followers in Al-Ka, and it also has... in the recent period. In Al-Ma... ...is Muhammad Uthman, son of Muhammad Abu Bakr, son of Abdullah al-Mirghani al-Nabi, peace be upon him. His grandfather, Abdullah al-Mahjoub, was a great scholar famous in Awsh... He died in 1973 CE. Muhammad Uthman was born in 1973 CE. His father died when he was ten years old. His uncle... and his father died when he was ten years old. He learned the sciences of Sufism from Sayyid Ahmad ibn Idris and his brother. Al-Khatmi visited Dongola, Arzuqa, and Makka in Sennar, and western Sudan for a period. In Barra, he married a Sudanese woman who bore him Sayyid Muhammad al-Hasan, who continued the establishment of the Khatmiyya Tariqa in Sudan. Al-Khatmi visited Sudan approximately three times and established the Khatmiyya Tariqa in Kassala, which later became the headquarters and refuge for the tariqa. He died in Taif on May 2, 1983. Refer to the book by Ahmad Uthman, "The Khatmiyya Tariqa in Sudan," first edition, 1997, Center for African Research and Studies, page 16 onwards. - 51 -